Metaheuristic algorithms are widely-recognized solvers for challenging optimization problems with multi-modality, discretization, large-scale, multi-objectivity, etc. Automatically designing metaheuristic algorithms leverages today's increasing computing resources to conceive, build up, and verify the design choices of algorithms. It requires much less expertise, labor resources, and time cost than the traditional manual design. Furthermore, by fully exploring the design choices with computing power, automated design is potential to reach or even surpass human-level design, subsequently gaining enhanced performance compared with human problem-solving. These significant advantages have attracted increasing interest and development in the automated design techniques. Open source software is indispensable in response to the increasing interest and development of the techniques. To this end, we have developed a MATLAB library, AutoOptLib, to automatically design metaheuristic algorithms. AutoOptLib, for the first time, provides throughout support to the whole design process, including: 1) plenty of algorithmic components for continuous, discrete, and permutation problems, 2) flexible algorithm representation for evolving diverse algorithm structures, 3) various design objectives and design techniques for different experimentation and application scenarios, and 4) useful experimental tools and graphic user interface (GUI) for practicability and accessibility. In this paper, we first introduce the key features and architecture of the AutoOptLib library. We then illustrate how to use the library by either command or GUI. We further describe additional uses and experimental tools, including parameter importance analysis and benchmark comparison. Finally, we present academic and piratical applications of AutoOptLib, which verifies its efficiency and practicability.
翻译:超光速算法是人们广泛认识到的解决多模式、离散、大尺度、多客观等方面的优化问题的解决方案。 自动设计超光速算法将当今日益增加的计算资源用于构思、建立和核实算法的设计选择。 它比传统的手工设计要少得多的专业知识、劳动力资源和时间成本。 此外,通过充分探索计算能力的设计选择,自动化设计有可能达到甚至超过人一级设计,随后与人类解决问题相比,其性能得到提高。这些重大优势已经吸引了自动化设计技术的日益兴趣和发展。 开放源基准应用软件对于应对这些技术的日益浓厚兴趣和发展必不可少。 为此,我们开发了一个MATLAB图书馆,AutOptLib, 用于自动设计计量算法算法。 AutoOptLib, 首次为整个设计过程提供了支持,包括:(1) 大量用于连续、离散和变异问题的算法组件;(2) 为不断演进的算法结构结构结构,灵活地进行演算。 3,我们设计各种目标以及设计工具,最终用于不同的实验性工具以及设计。</s>